Statement on the occasion of the social protests in BiH

Photo credit: Cynthia Cockburn

Published February 14, 2014

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Sarajevo, 14 February 2014

Statement on the occasion of the social protests in BiH

“The rule of law, including full respect for equality between citizen and assurance of equal participation of women and men in all spheres of live, are imperative for further development of Bosnia and Herzegovina” – concluded the women participating in a conference Women Organizing for Change in Syria and Bosnia, that was held in Sarajevo. The participants of the conference, long-term activists from all over the country, are supporting the demands of the demonstrators throughout Bosnia, and highlight that there is no further development of democratic processes without equal participation and representation of women and men in decision-making bodies, at all levels of governance, which is also guaranteed by the provision in the Law on Gender Equality of BiH. Gender equality must be an integrative part of building a just society. Without gender equality there is no real social justice.

The participants of the conference stressed that one of the demands towards the government should be the limitation of mandates in a sense that no citizen can candidate or be elected for any function for more than three mandates, at any level of the government. This would create an environment where marginalization of youth would no longer be possible. With the aim of establishing mechanisms for monitoring of the implementation of the laws the country needs to improve its bodies for inspection and other monitoring bodies, as well as limit the mandates of the heads of these institutions.

The citizens must not be limited in their enjoyment of their rights to social and health protection by the constitutional structure of the state created by the Dayton Peace agreement. Establishment of a Fund for Social Protection is an imperative for equalization of social and health rights, especially those that lie within the competencies of cantons and entities and Brcko District, which also includes maternity rights and benefits and alike. All budgetary means planned for different reimbursements to governmental representatives should be redirected to the Fund for social protection.

The participants of this conference will present these demands also through the different plenums that are being organized in their local communities.

Signed by

UHD Prijateljice

Infoteka Zenica

Centar za pravnu pomoć ženama Zenica

Fondacija Bosanskohercegovačka inicijativa žena

Fondacija CURE Sarajevo

Forum žena Bratunac

Organizacija žena “Lara” Bijeljin

Udruženje “Žena BiH”

Udruženje građana ,,Žene Srebrenice”

Udruženje žena Forma F

Udruženje Žene ženama

Fondacija/Foundation Udružene žene/United Women Banja Luka

UHD “Prijateljice”

Žene za Žene International

Organizacija Budućnost Modriča

Ženska međunarodna liga za mir i slobodu

Biro za ljudska prava

Udruženje Srcem do Mira

Udruženje prijedorčaki «Izvor Prijedor»

Udruženje «Viva žene» Tuzla

TRIAL BiH

Fondacija jedan svijet platforma za jugoistočnu Europu

Centar za studije o izbjeglim i raseljenim osobama

Udruženje SEKA Goražde

Cvijeta Novaković

Dubravka Kovačević

Klaudia Kuhulj

Lidija Živanović

Nejra Nuna Čengić

Nela Porobić Isaković

Samira Krehić

Mirha Pojskić

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About us

Since 2013 Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is facilitating a ground-breaking initiative that focuses on the importance of taking into consideration existing experiences and empirical knowledge of women who went through an armed conflict and struggled for women rights, in an attempt to change the dominant narrative of women as victims. Through this initiative we advocate for women’s rights to be represented at all levels in the peace-building process, we put the spot light on the peace activism of women during war, we defend the human rights of women and promote social, economic and political justice.